Protective cover for buildings

ABSTRACT

A system for a movable protective cover for buildings during severe weather. The system includes a base disposed beneath the surface of the ground; at least one structural support member movably coupled to the base and concealable within the base; a cover coupled to the at least one structural support member; and the at least one structural support member and the cover being moveable from a first position beneath the surface of the ground to a second position above the ground.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to and claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/293,752, filed Jan. 11, 2010, entitledPROTECTIVE COVER FOR BUILDINGS, the entirety of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

n/a

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a protective cover for buildings andother structures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Severe weather, such as hurricanes, blizzards, floods, and tornados havecaused and continue to cause catastrophic damage to infrastructure anddwellings, and have also resulted in many injuries and deaths. Forexample, it is estimated that the 2005 hurricane season caused 2,280deaths and record damages of over $128 billion. This has necessitatedand spurred the growth of contingency and emergency plans that includedeployment of severe weather protection devices to mitigate the damagecaused by severe weather to buildings and homes by severe weather. Also,looting and vandalism have also been problematic after severe weatherevents. In particular after hurricanes, where houses and buildings maybe without power, security systems, or even a secure and stablestructure, and as a result are vulnerable to intruders and vandals.

Presently, hurricane shutters are the most common system used tomitigate wind damage caused by severe weather such as tornados andhurricanes. Hurricane shutters help prevent windows from being broken byflying objects that may operate as projectiles during a storm. Shuttersare frequently constructed from steel, aluminum, or plywood and areoften affixed to the outside of a building with screws, hurricane clips,or a track system. Other shutters may be motorized, and may fold awaywhen not in use. However, shutters fail to provide any protection forthe roof, walls, as well as other structures and ornamentation and failto provide little protection against looting and vandalism. And, thepressure caused by high velocity wind flowing over the roof can causeroof tiles to be dislodged or even collapse the entire roof.

As a result, what is needed is a stable, secure, and quickly deployablestructure that shields the entire house, including the roof, from wind,fire, and projectile damage, and that may also provide power to thehouse.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention advantageously provides a system for a movableprotective cover for buildings during severe weather. The systemincludes a base disposed beneath the surface of the ground; at least onestructural support member movably coupled to the base and concealablewithin the base; a cover coupled to the at least one structural supportmember; and the at least one structural support member and the coverbeing moveable from a first position beneath the surface of the groundto a second position above the ground.

In another configuration, the system includes at least one moveablespar; a cover affixed to the at least one spar, the cover sized to spana roof of the house; a solar panel affixed to the surface of the cover,the solar panel being in electrical communication with the house.

In another configuration, the system includes a base disposed beneaththe ground; a plurality of beams movably coupled to the base; a coverdefining a mesh coupled to each of beam of the plurality of beams, thecover defining at least one door; the plurality of beams and the coverbeing movable from a first position beneath the surface of the ground toa second position above the ground; and a solar collection elementaffixed to the cover

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention, and theattendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readilyunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the severe weather protection system;

FIG. 2 is another front view of the severe weather protection systemshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view showing a base for the systemdisposed beneath the ground;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the severe protection system shown in FIGS. 1and 2 showing the base for the system partially surrounding a house;

FIG. 5 is front view of another configuration of the severe weatherprotection system showing the base affixed to an eave of a house; and

FIG. 6 is a front view of the system of FIG. 1 showing a solar panelaffixed to the cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Now referring to figures in which like reference designators refer tolike elements, there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 an exemplary severeweather protection system in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention generally referred to as “10.” The system 10 isconfigured to withstand and abate hurricane and tornado force winds ofup to approximately 150 mph. The system 10 may include a cover 12 sizedto enclose the entire area of a house or building or partially cover thesame. The surface area of the cover 12 may be variable in size toaccommodate differently sized houses or other structures. For example,the cover 12 may be sized to cover a home, an office building, a car, aplane, sensitive military equipment, or any other movable or fixedstructure exposed to severe weather. The cover 12 may be flexible and becomprised of materials such as metals, fibers, fabrics, and plastics towithstand high force winds, as well as high velocity impact of windpropelled objects. The cover 12 may also be comprised of water resistantmaterials, may be opaque to provide privacy, may resist tearing suchthat it is difficult for intruders or vandals to penetrate after astorm, and may also be coated with a material having a low coefficientof friction such that debris, water, and snow do not accumulate on thesurface of the cover 12.

The cover 12 may be fabricated to be entirely impermeable to air and/orwater, or alternatively, define a myriad of shaped apertures that definea flexible and resilient mesh 14 or netting along the cover's surface.The mesh 14 may lend flexibility to the cover 12 and allow a portion ofan incoming airflow to flow through the cover 12. The apertures mayfurther reduce the force exerted by the incoming airflow on the house orroof, while simultaneously reducing the lift exerted on the cover 12.For example, if the incoming airflow has a velocity of 150 mph, the mesh14 may operate to reduce the velocity of the incoming airflow to, forexample, 30 mph, or any velocity, such that the lift force exerted onthe house or roof is fractionally less when compared to the lift forcethat would be exerted on the roof by the ambient airflow velocity.Because the incoming airflow velocity may be reduced when it impacts theroof or house, the lift exerted on the cover may also be lessened,reducing the chance that the cover 12 may become dislodged.Alternatively, the cover 12 may be substantially transparent ortranslucent to allow light and heat to penetrate the cover 12. Forexample, the cover 12 may function as a movable greenhouse roof or anawning to block the sun. Optionally, the cover 12 may be painted or dyedany color.

The cover 12 may further form a domed structure about the house,building, car, plane or other structure. Other shaped structures, forexample, ovoid, elliptical, rectangular, trapezoidal, pyramidal, orother non-symmetrical shapes are also contemplated by the presentinvention depending on the desired specifications and the particulars ofthe building or house to be enclosed. Alternatively, the cover 12 mayform-fit to the surface of the house. In such an configuration, thecover 12 may be fitted or stretched about the surface of the house andlend direct support to the roof, for example, by applying pressure tothe roof tiles. In such a configuration, the mesh 14 may be manually orautomatically stretched about the house or building to be taught againstthe roof. The cover 12 may further define a first door or flap 16defined by the cover 12 and positioned along the perimeter of the cover12 to allow ingress and egress of people in an out of the cover 12 whendeployed. The first door 16 may be zippered or Velcroed into the cover12, or fabricated by other attachment mechanisms. A second door 18 mayalso be fabricated a top portion of the cover 12 when deployed. Forexample, in a configuration where the cover 12 forms a domed structure,the second door 18 may be fabricated at the highest point of the dome.The second door may 18 allow fluid flow of air or other gaseousparticles into and out of the system 10 as well as allow access forcable, electrical, or other wires.

Continuing to refer to FIGS. 1 and 2, the system 10 may further includeone or more structural support members 20 coupled to, tied to, orotherwise engaged with to the cover 12 and may operate as bothstructural support for the system and as a moveable arm for deploymentof the cover 12. The structural support members 20 may positioned atvarious locations along the interior or exterior surface of the cover 12to lend structure support to the system 10. The structural supportmembers 20 may be elongate beams or spars, for example, I-beams, thatmay be coated or painted with water and fire resistant material. Thestructural support members 20 may further be elastic and flexible andmay be any shape or size. Each structural support member 20 may bedifferently sized than an adjacent structural support member 16 or thesame size to accommodate differently sized buildings or houses. One ormore apertures (not shown) may be defined by the structural supportmembers 20 such that the cover 12, or other materials such as rope, maybe threaded through the apertures to aid in flexing and bending thestructural support members 20 as desired. For example, a structuralsupport member 16 may be substantially cylindrical and define aperturesspaced approximately four to eight feet apart. In an exemplaryconfiguration, eight steel structural support members 20 aresymmetrically positioned about cover 12 such that movement of thestructural support members 20 causes movement of the cover 12.

Optionally, one or more holes, for example, grommet holes may be definedaround the edges of the cover 12 to mate with one or more hooks that maybe coupled to the house or the structural support members 20. Forexample, the cover 12 may surround and contour a house and engage withthe one more hooks to lock it in place when full deployed. This may beaccomplished by movement of the structural support member 20 around thehouse while it places the cover 12 on the surface of the house.

Referring back now to FIG. 2, the space between each structural supportmember 20 spanned by the cover 12 may form a panel 22 that may bevariable in size and dimension depending on the desired specifications.For example, the angular change from panel 22 to panel 22 may beestablished to inhibit lifting forces being generated by wind passageover the cover 12. Additionally, panels 22 and structural supportmembers 20 may be modular, and added or removed from the system 10 toaccommodate additions or subtractions to the building or house. Thepanel 22 configuration may further be established to prevent excessturbulence that could create additional structural stress. Additionally,the panel 22 configuration may be designed to minimize the Venturieffect such that neighboring houses or ornamentation is not adverselyaffected by the system 10. In another configuration, one structuralsupport member 20 may used to deploy the cover 12 such that the singlestructural support member 20 operates as a movable arm to extend andretract the cover 12 about the house to form a dome. Optionally, thecover 12, and its particular configuration, may be tailored to theindividual needs of the particular home. For example, the cover 12 maybe used as a wall or fence around a home to provide privacy. Inparticular, the cover 12 may be deployed to a desired height above theground and surround a portion of the home.

Now referring to FIG. 3, the system 10 may be secured or otherwiseanchored and retractable within a base or foundation 24, such asconcrete, metal, or other similar materials, that surrounds or borders aleast a portion of the house or building. The base 24 may serve as bothan anchor for the proximal end of the structural support members 20 anda locking base for the distal portions of the end structural supportmembers 20 that approach the ground and/or to secure the base of thecover 12. In the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the base 24 is shownsurrounding a portion of a home. The base 24 may positionable within anexcavated recessed portion of the ground or a trench that is sized anddimensioned to retain and conceal the one or more structural supportmembers 20 and the cover 12. For example, if a substantially ellipticalcover 12 is used to cover the house or building, the recess may beelliptical in shape and 1-6 feet deep to accommodate the cover 12 andsimilarly shaped structural support members 20. In an exemplaryconfiguration, the base 24 consists of concrete poured into the recessand has portions on opposite sides of the building being protected. Ifsite conditions permit, the base 24 can completely surround thebuilding. In another configuration, the base 24 may be approximatelyfour feet to five feet away from the building or house and positioned onthe full length of the building's largest dimension and half of thelength of the shortest dimension on both sides. In this configuration,the base 24 may define a substantially U-shaped structure. Thestructural support members 20 may further be bolted or otherwise affixedto the base 24. The anchored portions of the structural support members20 can be shock mounted so that they can minimally flex to compensatefor turbulence induced vibration. For example, shocks or struts mayseparate one structural support member 20 from another to reduce thelongitudinal compression on one structural support member 20 fromanother allow and to allow for flexing and bending of the structuralsupport members 20 during a high wind event.

The system 10 may further have a slidable hatch 26, which may be a doorand/or a flap that is mechanically, pneumatically, or electrically, orby other methods known in the art, actuated to open and close to allowthe cover 12 and structural support members 20 to extend and move frombeneath the recess and surround the house or building. The hatch 26 maybe leveled with the ground so as to not cause any protrusion or raisedsurface that may be a hazard or an eyesore and may further operate toconceal the system 10. The hatch 26 may further operate to protect thecover 12 and structural support members 20 pre-deployment from outsideelements such as wind, and water, and fire. The hatch 26 may beconnected to a battery or power source independent of the power sourcefor the corresponding structure to covered, for example, the house.

Now referring to FIG. 5, in another configuration the base 24 may becoupled to and span a portion of the roof of a building. For example,the base 24 may be anchored subjacent to the eave or the overhang of agabled or hipped roof such that it remains at least partially concealed.In such a configuration, the base 24 may be sized to conceal the cover12 and sized to cover the roof. The cover 12 may be folded within thebase 24 and unfold and expand to cover the roof of the house when thesystem 10 is actuated. The base 24 may further include the hatch 26 thatopens and closes to facilitate the unfolding of the cover 12. In such aconfiguration, a hook or latch may be included on the opposite eave ofthe house or building from the base for the cover 12 to couple with whenfully deployed. For example, a hook may be affixed to the eave or anyportion of the roof such that when the cover is fully extended itmaintains its position. Posts or other guides (not shown) may beinstalled to provide a path for the cover 12 as it is deployed.

Now referring to FIG. 6, in another configuration, one or more solarenergy collectors or photovoltaic panels 28 may be coupled to theexterior surface of the cover 12. The solar energy collectors 28 may bein electrical communication with the house or other structure and may bean alternate power source if power is cut-off during a severe weatherevent. For example, during a blizzard, snow and other debris mayaccumulate on the surface of the cover 12 and may further sever thepower lines connected to the house. The solar energy collectors 28operate to power the house when utility power is unavailable or tosupplement utility power. Further, in the event of a blizzard snow mayaccumulate on the cover 12 and or roof in such amounts that the pressureapplied by the snow may be sufficient to collapse the roof. Toameliorate such an event, the solar energy collectors 28 mayalternatively be in communication with a separate power source andoperate as a heating element to melt the accumulated snow on the cover12.

In an exemplary operation, the system 10 may be actuated remotely via acontroller or automatically by, for example, a wind, fire, or snowdetection system that may be manually programmed to activate the system10 at pre-designated detected wind velocities or fire. Upon detection ofthe pre-designated wind velocity, or by manual operation, a warningsystem may be activated, which may include flashing lights or sirensthat alert people in proximity of the system 10 that it is about deploy.Such warning systems may operate from anywhere from a few seconds to afew minutes depending on the desired lead time. Upon completion of thedesignated warnings, the system may then be deployed with electric, gas,hydraulic or pneumatic power actuation which deploys the system 10 atpre-designated speeds. If a motor in communication with a gear system isused to deploy the system 10, it may be disposed within a portion of therecess or otherwise shielded from the outside elements such as water.Should electrical power be unavailable, a hand crank may also beprovided to manual activate the system 10. Also, the deploymentmechanism may either be in electrical communication with the home orbuilding's power supply or may alternatively have its own power supplysuch as a gas powered generator.

Safety systems such as lights and audible warning tones may also beprovided during deployment or retraction of the system 10, as well asoptical or contact sensors to interrupt deployment or retraction if anobstacle is sensed. For example, if a person, tree, power line, or cableline is in the path of the system 10 as it deploys, the system 10 mayautomatically sense these objects and interrupt deployment.Additionally, sensors, such as motion sensors may also be disposed on oraround the cover 12 to prevent access by intruders. Optionally, asprinkler system 30 may be included with the system 10 and coupled tothe cover 12 and/or the support members 20. For example, one or moresprinkler heads 32 may be coupled to the support members 20, thesprinkler heads 32 being in fluid communication with a water source, forexample, the water source connected to the house, through one or morepipes either disposed within or affixed to the structural supportmembers 20. The sprinkler heads 32 may be telescoping such that they aresubstantially coplanar with the surface of the structural supportmembers 20 or cover 12 when in an undeployed state. The sprinkler system30 may further be in communication with the fire detection system, suchthat when a fire is detected the sprinkler heads 36 deploy and spraywater onto the house.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the presentinvention is not limited to what has been particularly shown anddescribed herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above tothe contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawingsare not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possiblein light of the above teachings without departing from the scope andspirit of the invention, which is limited only by the following claims.

1. A weather protection system, comprising: a base disposed beneath thesurface of the ground; at least one beam movably coupled to andconcealable within the base; a cover coupled to the at least one beam;and the at least one beam and the cover being moveable from a firstposition beneath the surface of the ground to a second position abovethe ground.
 2. The weather protection system of claim 1, wherein thecover is sized to at least partially surround a house.
 3. The weatherprotection system of claim 1, wherein the cover defines a mesh.
 4. Theweather protection system of claim 1, further comprising at least onesolar energy collection element disposed on the surface of the cover. 5.The weather protection system of claim 1, wherein the cover is composedof fire resistant material.
 6. The weather protection system of claim 1,wherein the beam and the cover are moveably actuated by a remotecontrol.
 7. The weather protection system of claim 1, wherein the coverdefines at least one door.
 8. The weather protection of system claim 1,further comprising at least one sprinkler head in fluid communicationwith a water source, the at least one sprinkler head coupled to the atleast beam.
 9. The weather protection system of claim 1, furthercomprising a heating element affixed to the cover.
 10. The weatherprotection system of claim 1, further comprising a moveable hatchcovering the base, the hatch being substantially coplanar with theground.
 11. A self powered severe weather protection system for a house,comprising: at least one moveable spar; a cover affixed to the at leastone spar, the cover sized to span a roof of the house; a solar panelaffixed to the surface of the cover, the solar panel being in electricalcommunication with the house.
 12. The weather protection system of claim11, further comprising a foundation element anchored beneath the groundand sized to house and conceal the cover and the at least one spar. 13.The weather protection system of claim 11, further comprising afoundation element anchored subject to the roof and sized to house andconceal the cover and the at least one spar.
 14. The weather protectionsystem of claim 12, further comprising a slideable hatch concealing thefoundation element and substantially coplanar with the ground.
 15. Theweather protection system of claim 11, further comprising a remotecontrol operable to initiate movement of the at least on structuralsupport element.
 16. The weather protection system of claim 11, whereinthe cover is fire resistant.
 17. The weather protection system of claim11, wherein the cover defines a mesh.
 18. The weather protection systemof claim 11, wherein the cover contours the roof.
 19. The weatherprotection system of claim 11, wherein the cover is impermeable towater.
 20. A weather protection system, comprising: a base disposedbeneath the ground; a plurality of beams movably coupled to the base; acover defining a mesh coupled to each of beam of the plurality of beams,the cover defining at least one door; the plurality of beams and thecover being movable from a first position beneath the surface of theground to a second position above the ground; and a solar collectionelement affixed to the cover.